Unmasked
by Dida Mac
Summary: When an akuma attacks Ladybug is unmasked. However, Chat Noir won't remember or will he?
1. Chapter 1

Samantha had spent years pouring her heart and soul into the papers that filled the folder that she held. This was her book. The story that she wrote was elegant and detailed. She had tried to get it published, sure that it would sell if it was. The publisher had looked at the first page and told her to leave. He hadn't even looked at the rest of the book. Samantha sat on a bench clutching the binder that held her work. She didn't even see the butterfly coming toward her and finding the lucky pen in her pocket.

"Storyteller, I am Hawkmoth. I can help you get revenge on those keeping your story from being told, but you must do something for me in return. You must get Ladybug and Cat Noir's miraculouses and bring them to me." A voice said to her. Samantha felt herself nod and then she transformed. Her skin and clothes had sentences from her story covering them.

She walked back to the publisher and stood in the lobby. She opened the folder and found the pages inside blank and grabbed her pen from her pocket. The receptionist was asking her what she was doing, clearly scared. Storyteller smirked as she wrote on the paper.

 _The receptionist calls Mr. Petit and tells him to come to the lobby._

The ink shined for a moment before slithering off the page toward the receptionist. As much as the other woman tried to escape, the words slithered up her leg and imprinted in her skin. She then calmly walked back to the desk and dialed Mr. Petit's extension.

"You need to come to the lobby, sir." She said before hanging up the phone and being released from the influence of the words. Immediately the woman tried to pick up the phone again, but Storyteller was ready.

 _The receptionist then walked out into the streets of Paris without another word._

The receptionist's eyes clouded over as she then made her way to the door. She walked out of the building and Storyteller waited patiently. She heard the sound of screeching tires outside, but before she turned to see what happened the elevator dinged announcing the arrival of Mr. Petit.

"What is this? Where is…" he started, but Storyteller cut him off.

"You wouldn't even look at my book. You tossed away years of my life like they were garbage." Storyteller stated as she scribbled new words on her blank page.

 _Mr. Petit takes Storyteller to his office._

And the words snaked across the floor to Mr. Petit who instantly invited her into the elevator. Storyteller started to make her way to the elevator when she heard someone speak behind her. "I see you're a woman of few words, so I'll keep this quick. Give me that silly pen of yours and we can all go home, 'kay?" The leather-clad blond smirked at her while petting his leather belt of a tail.

Storyteller's eyes narrowed. "Take his miraculous. The ring on his finger." Hawkmoth said urgently in her mind. Storyteller smirked.

 _Chat Noir refuses to fight Storyteller._

"I have a plan." She stated as the words flowed off of the page and toward Chat. They didn't reach their destination as a red yoyo with black spots struck them, scattering the ink. Storyteller frowned.

"Getting yourself into trouble again, Kitty?" Ladybug asked with a smirk.

"Not at all, M'lady." Chat replied.

Storyteller smirked, knowing what to do now that both Ladybug and Chat Noir were here to stop her. "You will give me your miraculous, Ladybug." She stated as she wrote on the paper.

The ink snaked toward Ladybug quickly. Just as she had anticipated, Chat Noir stepped in front of his partner to block her from the attack with his body. What they didn't know was what Storyteller had written.

 _Chat Noir takes off Ladybug's earrings and gives them to Storyteller._

The words snaked up Chat's leg and sank into the leather suit he was wearing. Despite his obvious struggle, he turned to Ladybug. Ladybug jumped back away from him and used her yoyo to swing across the room. Chat followed her like a predator hunting prey. It wasn't the first time the black cat had turned on the heroine because of an akuma attack, but Ladybug was having difficulty staying away from him in the confined lobby.

She made to swing out into the street, but was blocked by Chat's staff. She hit the pole mid-swing and fell to the floor of the lobby.

 _Ladybug gives her miraculous to Chat Noir._

Storyteller sent the ink toward Ladybug who hit the ink with her yoyo again as she got up, Chat right behind her. His arms closed around her and he made to throw her to the ground. "No, Chat!" Ladybug shouted as she stomped on his foot and then wriggled out of his grasp. She finally made it out into the street where she would have room to fight. Chat followed her and Hawkmoth demanded that Storyteller do the same. Storyteller looked at Mr. Petit, contemplating ignoring Hawkmoth who then threatened to take away her power. She nodded and went out into the street where cars were piled up next to the receptionist who was still standing in the street seemingly unharmed.

Storyteller watched as the two superheroes went around a corner, Chat on the heels of Ladybug. Storyteller followed at Hawkmoth's insistence and saw Ladybug fling her yoyo at Chat who deflected the magical toy with his staff.

 _Ladybug refuses to fight Chat Noir._

Storyteller wrote sending the ink toward the fight. Ladybug was almost caught by the words, but swung away quickly when she saw the attack before smashing the words with her yoyo from a safe distance. She then flung the yoyo at Chat again who held up his staff. The yoyo wrapped around the staff and Chat grabbed it, yanking Ladybug forward.

 _Ladybug takes Chat Noir's miraculous and gives it to Storyteller._

The ink snaked toward the heroine as she fell through the air, unable to bat the ink away. The bug jumped up as soon as she hit the ground and managed to land on top of Chat's staff. Chat swung the staff to knock her off and Ladybug jumped on Chat's head as he threw the yoyo across the street. Ladybug sprung from Chat's head after her trusty yoyo and snagged it in time to send the toy flying at the ink that was still chasing her. She scattered the ink, but then Chat jumped on her, tackling her to the ground. Ladybug struggled to throw him off of her, but he was stronger and heavier than she was. He gently took the earrings off before standing and walking back toward Storyteller, leaving Marinette laying on the ground shocked. She didn't stay shocked for long.

She got to her feet and chased after Chat. He hadn't expected this, likely because his orders were now to give the earrings to Storyteller. He hadn't even seemed to notice who she was when the magic was stripped away. She knew that he desperately wanted to know who she was beneath the mask as he had tried many times through the years to find out.

 _The young woman drops the earrings._

Storyteller tried to preemptively stop Marinette as she tackled Chat and stole the earrings back. She quickly put them back on and transformed. With her trusty yoyo, she scattered the ink again. "Lucky Charm." She shouted, tossing the yoyo into the air. Her lucky charm was a full water bottle. "What am I supposed to do with this?" She asked aloud as Chat resumed his pursuit of her earrings. Ladybug flung the yoyo and soared into the sky while looking around. Then she had an idea. She made her way through the air to Storyteller as she was starting to write again and poured the water on the paper. What was already written was a smudged mess and the pen would no longer work. Ladybug dropped down, snatched the pen and broke it in half. She then quickly caught the akuma and set everything back to normal with a pit in her stomach.

 **Author's note: Hey, I recently got hooked on this show thanks to my daughter so I decided to write a fic about it. I do have several chapters written so far and am getting close to finishing the story. I hope you enjoyed the chapter. Please leave a review to let me know what you liked or didn't like.**


	2. Chapter 2

**Ladybug dropped down, snatched the pen and broke it in half. She then quickly caught the akuma and set everything back to normal with a pit in her stomach.**

Would Chat remember who she was? Samantha ran off, clutching her book and newly fixed pen as she ran. As much as Ladybug wanted to join her in running away, she stayed and stared at Chat as he shook his head.

"What was…? Was I a puppet again?" He asked in that somewhat cute, somewhat annoying voice he had. He then noticed the worried expression on Ladybug's face. "Cat got your tongue, Bug-a-boo?" He asked with a smirk and a wink.

Ladybug smiled, figuring that he didn't remember. "Only in your dreams, Kitty." She said. Her earrings then let out a loud beep. Her eyes widened. "Guess I'd better bug out." She said.

"But we were just starting to have fun." Chat said as Ladybug threw her yoyo and soared into the sky away from him. Chat watched as she went. He was rather upset about something, but hadn't let it show. He knew that something had happened, though. The way Ladybug looked at him told him that he'd done something while he hadn't been in control. He never could remember what went on when an akumatized victim used their power on him. Like with Dark Cupid, Puppeteer, and Princess Fragrance he had no recollection of what he'd done. Somehow, this felt different than all of those other times. He knew, though, that when he let the transformation fall, Plagg would likely tell him what happened.

The little Kwami was always making fun of him for what the akumatized victims made him do. He quickly made his way to a secluded rooftop and let go of the transformation, turning back into Adrien. "Where's my camembert?" The little black Kwami asked immediately. "I'm starving."

"I didn't even use my cataclysm." Adrien said with a shake of his head.

"And how would you know?" Plagg asked.

"The ring wasn't beeping at me." Adrien said simply. "What happened?" He asked.

Plagg regarded him for a moment. "You fought Ladybug, what did you think happened?" He asked. Adrien felt like the Kwami was holding something back. "Now, I'm starving!" He insisted.

"Did I do anything? Ladybug looked at me like...like she was scared." Adrien said.

"Look kid, if you could remember then you'd never get me that camembert." Plagg said.

"I'm not going to get it if you don't tell me what happened." Adrien said.

"I told you. You fought Ladybug. The Storyteller wanted you to get Ladybug's miraculous." Plagg said. Adrien knew his Kwami well enough to know this was a lie. Plagg would normally make fun of him for what he did or how he got beaten by Ladybug. He was never this serious.

"You took Ladybug's miraculous." Plagg said after a moment.

"No I didn't. She was still Ladybug by the end of the fight." Adrien said. "If I took her miraculous, she would have turned back." He said. "There's no way." He said.

"Believe what you want. I know who the love of your life is, kid." Plagg said with a laugh.

"No you don't. How would she have still been Ladybug, then?" Adrien asked.

"She tackled you and took the earrings back." Plagg said simply.

"That didn't happen…" he trailed off as the sun set behind him. He was sure Nino, Alya, and Marinette were probably worried about him. They had all been having lunch at a café when the pile-up occurred, cluing him into a possible akuma attack. He needed a little bit of time to think, though.

"It totally happened. And you didn't even bat an eye!" Plagg said, suddenly laughing.

"No camembert." Adrien said, causing Plagg to stop laughing immediately.

"Hey! It's not my fault you don't remember her." The little Kwami said indignantly.

"Tell me about her?" Adrien pleaded.

"She's got black hair and blue eyes." Plagg said and Adrien rolled his eyes.

"I know that, Plagg." He said.

"There you go. You know about her." The Kwami said evasively.

"How old is she? What does she look like? Do I know her?" Adrien asked.

"Look, kid, I'm not going to out Ladybug. You're going to have to do that on your own." Plagg said.

"At least tell me if I know her." Adrien said.

"Of course you know her. You fight with her every other day." Plagg replied.

"That's not what I…" Adrien trailed off as Plagg zoomed into his shirt pocket, sensing someone coming.

"A-Adrien Agreste, right? Your friends are looking for you." Ladybug said. Adrien had no idea how she could charge her Kwami so fast.

"Hi." He said, words suddenly escaping him. Without his mask he just wasn't confident around her. He couldn't be.

"Let's get you down to them. How did you get up here to begin with?" She asked.

"That akumatized woman sent me up here." He said, not able to think of any other excuse. Ladybug nodded.

"Sorry about that." She said. She then reached out an arm to him. He took her hand and then she pulled him close. "H-hold on, Adrien." She said as she wrapped one arm around his waist and flung her yoyo with her free hand. She deposited him swiftly and safely on the ground in front of the café. Alya and Nino were peering out of the window in awe.

"Can I get an interview?" Alya nearly shouted as she ran out of the café. But Ladybug was already gone.

"Where's Marinette?" Adrien asked. He could have sworn that he heard his Kwami chuckle.

"She went to look for you." Nino said as he patted Alya on the back. "One day she'll stay for an interview." He muttered at his girlfriend.

"Oh, th-there you are Adrien. W-what h-happened to you?" Marinette asked.

"The Storyteller sent me away. It's okay, Ladybug found me." Adrien said.

"That must have been scary." Marinette said with wide eyes.

"It wasn't so bad." Adrien said. He then heard an audible laugh and could feel Plagg squirming in his pocket. The others looked at him and he forced a few laughs. "Maybe we should go." he said.

"Yeah, I should probably be getting home." Marinette said.

"We can walk you it's not that far." Adrien said.

"I just remembered we have a thing." Alya said.

"What?" Nino said. Alya shot a glare at him. "Oh, right...that thing. We can't be late for the...thing." Nino said as Alya grabbed his hand and dragged him away.

"Alya." Marinette called after her friend.

"You'll be fine, Girl. Adrien will make sure you get home safe and sound, I'm sure." Alya shouted over her shoulder.

Adrien turned to Marinette and she instantly blushed and plastered a huge smile on her face. "Hey, maybe we can play some Ultimate Mecha Strike III when we get to your house." He said as he started walking with her.

"Yeah. We could." She said.

"I've still got this." Adrien said, holding up the charm that she gave him. "I've been wanting to put it to some good use." He added with a smirk. Adrien could still feel Plagg laughing as they walked, but luckily for him, the Kwami kept quiet enough that the sound didn't escape Adrien's pocket. When they got to Marinette's house, she said hello to her parents. They greeted Adrien warmly and offered him cookies which he gladly accepted. Plagg squirmed in his pocket. "Do you have any camembert?" He asked Marinette's father.

"I think we might." Tom said and disappeared into the back. He came back with a small slice of the stinky cheese.

"Thank you." Adrien stated as he and Marinette went up to her room. He carefully snuck the cheese into his pocket as stealthily as he could.

"It's nice of your father to let you out without your bodyguard." Marinette said shyly.

"Yeah. Then again, I think I'm old enough to protect myself." He said with a smile as Marinette turned the game on. The two played in near silence for a few rounds. Marinette would celebrate a little every time she won and then when she saw him looking at her she would sink down into her seat, blushing and with an embarrassed smile. Adrien couldn't help but to smile at her.

"Guess this doesn't work anymore." He said with a smirk as he held up the little charm.

"Guess not." Marinette said with a short laugh. "Adrien. I…" Marinette trailed off. Adrien prompted her to continue. Marinette looked out of the window. "It's getting really dark." She stated suddenly. "Y-you should probably go home. Before your father worries." She said.

Adrien looked at the window and nodded. "I guess I'll call the Gorilla." He stated. Marinette smirked and nodded. After the phone call they played another round and Adrien went back to his father's house and his ridiculously huge room. Plagg flew out of his pocket. "What was that all about?" Adrien asked.

"What was what?" Plagg asked.

"Why were you laughing?" Adrien asked.

"I think you were hearing things." Plagg said.

"Who's Ladybug?" Adrien asked.

"If you opened your eyes, you would know." Plagg said.

"Can you at least tell me if I know her?" Adrien begged.

"She doesn't want you to know who she is, kid." Plagg replied. "She's probably ecstatic that the only people there were you and that akumatized victim. She knew neither of you would remember." He added.

"Why can't you tell me who she is?" Adrien asked.

"The same reason that I haven't told you for the last three years." Plagg said. "She doesn't want you to know." He added.

"You've known this whole time?" Adrien asked.

"I can feel Tikki when we're close together." Plagg stated. He then clarified that Tikki was Ladybug's Kwami. "It took a while to figure out who it was, though." He said.

"How could you not have told me?" Adrien asked. "So, I do know her in regular life?" He suddenly realized.

"Kid, you've got no idea." Plagg stated as he dug into the camembert that was on the table in the middle of the room.

 **A/N: You guys are so gonna be angry when you read the chapter that I'm writing now. Well, angry or happy. It depends. Still, I hope you enjoyed this chapter.**


	3. Chapter 3

**"** **Kid, you've got no idea." Plagg stated as he dug into the camembert that was on the table in the middle of the room.**

Meanwhile, Marinette was laying in bed with Tikki next to her. "He won't remember Marinette." Tikki tried to comfort her again.

"But what if he does?" She asked.

"You're worrying for nothing. He still doesn't remember that kiss you gave him." Tikki said. "He didn't act strangely or anything. You're worrying for nothing!" She said.

Marinette nodded. She then got up and went to her computer to look at the Ladyblog to see Alya's update. There was no mention of her transforming back mid-fight. She breathed a sigh of relief that no one saw her. If anyone had, Alya would have mentioned it. "You're sure he won't remember?" Marinette asked.

"He won't, Marinette! Plagg might, but Chat won't." Tikki stated.

"Why would his Kwami remember?" Marinette asked.

"We know everything that you do when you are transformed." Tikki stated. "The akuma's magic doesn't work on us." She stated.

"What if he tells Chat?" Marinette asked alarmed, spinning around to face the flying Kwami.

"He won't, Marinette!" Tikki stated.

"Why not?" Marinette asked.

"He hasn't told him yet." Tikki stated simply.

"This is the only time I've been transformed around him." Marinette stated.

"That's true, but I know who Chat Noir is. I'm sure that Plagg knows who you are. We can sense each other." Tikki stated. "Just like when Timebreaker brought you back from the future and I could sense myself." Marinette nodded.

"So, you know who Chat is?" Marinette asked.

"Yes." Tikki said simply. Marinette nodded. She was curious about his identity, but not curious enough to ask. "You could trust him enough to tell him, you know." Tikki said as Marinette laid back down on the bed.

"Why would I want to do that?" Marinette asked.

"Then the two of you could know who you really are." Tikki said. "You could have someone to share everything with." She said. Marinette thought about this briefly.

"I don't know, Tikki. The only reason that I can act like Ladybug is because no one knows that Ladybug is me. If I tell Chat Noir who I am, I won't be able to do that." She said.

"He's completely different, too. When the two of you are transformed. He doesn't act like he does without the mask. He still wants to know who you are and I'm sure he would show you who he is." Tikki said.

"And then he'd never work with me again because I'm Marinette." The girl said putting her hands to her face.

"He doesn't seem to mind you even when you are Marinette." Tikki said. "Get some rest, Marinette. You don't want to be late for school again." Tikki added. Marinette nodded and closed her eyes to try to sleep.

 **A/N: Posted this chapter so soon because it's so short. I'm currently still working on Chapter 10. Which, will be either the most likely or most hated chapter.**


	4. Chapter 4

**"Get some rest, Marinette. You don't want to be late for school again." Tikki added. Marinette nodded and closed her eyes to try to sleep.**

"Good morning, Purrincess." Chat's voice said from Marinette's window the next morning.

"Chat!" Marinette exclaimed, sitting up.

"I hope you didn't get too excited yesterday." He said.

"Yesterday?" Marinette asked.

"The akuma attack." He replied and Marinette felt the blood drain from her face and she became dizzy with worry. "I saw you near the mayhem. Figured I'd do a house call." He said as he slipped into her room.

"Right, the café." Marinette said. Chat nodded.

"Kinda looked like a double date. Should I be jealous?" He purred at her.

"A d-date with A-A-Adrien? Of course it wasn't. Just friends hanging out." Marinette said, her face flushing red as all of that blood rushed back.

"Just making sure, Princess." Chat said as he made his way over to her.

"Chat… Who are you? Beneath the mask?" She asked. She knew that she could never ask as Ladybug.

"Just a boy." He said.

"Anything you like to do?" She asked hesitantly.

"Lose Ultimate Mecha Strike III to pretty girls." He purred. Marinette's breath caught.

"Were you spying on me last night?" She asked. Chat gave her a mischievous smirk. Marinette shook her head. "Really, though who are you?" She asked.

"A friend." Chat smirked.

"Do I know you… When you're not Chat?" She asked.

"Why so many questions this morning, Princess?" The boy asked. Marinette gulped.

"No reason." She said. "D-do you know who Ladybug is?" She asked the question she really wanted to know.

Chat shrugged. "Cat's got my tongue on that one." He stated with a smile.

"You really don't know?" Marinette asked, biting her lip.

"Nope. For all I know, you could be Ladybug." He said, suddenly his face was inches from hers. "You know, you are both about the same height." he said in a teasing voice before patting her head with an open hand, making her scowl.

"Marinette, Alya's here. Get up so that you can go to school." Sabine shouted from the bottom of the stairs. There wasn't enough warning for Chat to get out of the room before Alya opened her best friend's door. Alya looked from Chat, frozen inches from Marinette, his hand still on the top of her head, to Marinette and back.

"Girl...why is Chat Noir in your bedroom?" Alya asked hesitantly.

"I was just...we were...he was…"

"Making sure that my Purrincess was Purrfectly fine." He said with a smirk and a wink.

"Right, I need to talk to you." Alya said, focusing on Marinette. "Alone" she added, shooting a bit of a glare at Chat.

"Even when Ladybug isn't around, you still don't want to interview me?" Chat asked. Alya raised an eyebrow. "Meowch" Chat said. "That's harsh." He added, still not moving. His hand was even still on top of Marinette's head.

"You can go. At any time." Alya said, crossing her arms. Chat widened his eyes in a pleading look and puffed out his lip. "Do you really want me to interview you that badly?" She asked. Chat nodded so vigorously the bell at his neck jingled. Alya sighed and rolled her eyes. "Meet me at the park at 5 pm." She said and then waved her hands.

"I'll be seeing you Purrincess." Chat said before leaving the room. Alya immediate turned and crossed her arms.

"What? Nothing is going on." Marinette said.

"Well of course not. You're too in love with Adrien to go after anyone else including Chat Noir." Alya said with a roll of her eyes.

"Well then, what's the big deal?" Marinette asked.

"Ladybug was unmasked last night." Alya said and Marinette's heart stopped. "No one got any pictures or videos of it happening, but people did see." Alya said.

"H-how do you know?" Marinette asked, doing her best to keep her voice steady.

"People contacted the Ladyblog. No one recognized her that messaged me." Alya said.

"How many people?" Marinette asked.

"So far four." Alya said. "They were all in a building next to the fight." She said.

"Why are you telling me? Instead of putting it on the Ladyblog?" Marinette asked.

"Because Ladybug needs to be more careful. I'm not going to post anything about her identity. Even if I had more of a scoop than a description of black hair, blue eyes, and pale skin." Alya said, staring at Marinette.

Marinette nodded. "We should probably get ready and go to school." She said after a moment. Alya nodded and left the room to give Marinette some privacy. Tikki immediately came out from behind Marinette's computer as Marinette pulled on her clothes for the day.

"Was I reckless Tikki?" Marinette asked before the Kwami could speak.

"Marinette, you did your best." Tikki said. "If anything, Chat Noir was reckless when he jumped in front of you." The Kwami added. Marinette nodded. "No one recognized you. You will be fine." she added as Marinette grabbed her purse. Tikki flew into the bag. "Don't be so hard on yourself." Tikki stated before Marinette clasped the purse shut.

Marinette joined Alya and they made their way to school. Marinette was almost to the door when she heard sirens going down the street. "I'll meet you in class. I have to use the restroom." Marinette said as she rushed through the building. She nearly ran directly into none other than Adrien as he appeared to be urgently making his way to the boy's room. "Sorry." Marinette managed to say as she scooted around him and into the bathroom. "Tikki, spots on." She said before the Kwami could say anything. She escaped through the window of the restroom a few moments before Chat Noir did the same out of the window for the boy's room.

Ladybug swung through the streets following the sound of the sirens. She swung onto the roof of a building next to the noise and was soon joined by her leather-clad partner. "I knew you were hot for me, M'lady, but not this hot." Chat said with a smirk as the two looked at the burning building across the street. Ladybug shook her head.

"We should see if we can help. There might be someone trapped in there." She said.

"This looks like something that the fire department should handle. Doesn't look like an akuma attack. We should stay out of it." Chat replied. Ladybug swung down to the authorities. "Or that." Chat said and followed.

"What can we do to help." Ladybug asked Officer Roger.

"We've evacuated the building. We're just working on putting the fire out." Roger replied.

"Any idea what started it?" Ladybug asked.

"I don't think it was an akuma." Roger replied. Ladybug nodded.

"Guess there's no reason for us to be here. We might as well bug out." Ladybug said, moving to leave.

"Wait, Ladybug." Chat said reaching out to her. "I wanted to talk to you." He said. A pit formed in Ladybug's stomach. Did he know? Did Plagg tell him?

"Yes?" She asked meekly.

"I... let's talk up there" Chat suggested, not wanting to be overheard. He extended his staff to get him up to the rooftop that they had previously been on. Ladybug followed him. Chat brushed a hand through his hair, his face growing serious.

"What is it?" Ladybug asked, terrified. Monsters? No problem. Akumatized vitcims? Bring 'm on. Chat possibly knowing who she was? No way.

"I know that you were unmasked yesterday. I don't remember it, but my Kwami told me. I still don't know who you are." He said, adding the last sentence quickly. "But I would like to know. Ladybug, I love you." He said. He had confessed his love for her two years ago. She still didn't quite believe him and figured that he was just flirting.

Ladybug frowned, remembering the conversation that she had with Tikki the night before. She could tell him. She could let him know that she was Marinette. She looked into Chat's vibrant green eyes, but couldn't bring herself to speak. "I can't." She finally stated after a long pause.

"I won't tell anyone. Cat's honor. We probably don't even know each other in our regular lives." He said, knowing it wasn't true. Plagg had been clear. Adrien knew Ladybug's alter ego.

"If I tell you, then you'll know and I just...won't be the same." Ladybug said. "I'm not a confident person, Chat. Not really." She said.

"You're talking to a kitty who took a year to tell you that he loves you." Chat stated.

"You really shouldn't say that. You don't love me. Even so, I have you beat. I've only recently been able to say complete sentences to the guy I like." Ladybug said.

"You like a guy?" Chat's face fell. Ladybug had never told him about her crush. Ladybug just nodded.

"Even when I see him like this I start being shy. And he doesn't even know who I am under the mask." She said, sitting down. "In fact, I'm late for a class that I have with him right now." She said. Chat sat next to her.

"What class?" He asked. Ladybug smirked.

"Not gonna happen Chat." She said.

"Why? Cat got your tongue?" He asked, playfully pushing her.

"Why do you want to know?" Ladybug asked with a smile, pushing back.

"I want to know everything about you, M'lady." Chat replied with a wink. Ladybug just shook her head. A puzzled expression then crossed his face. "Wait, so you mean that you're spending time with me over your crush?" He asked and then raised his eyebrows suggestively.

Ladybug just shook her head and rolled her eyes. "Guess I should get back to him, shouldn't I?" She said standing.

"Ladybug, wait." Chat said and then thought quickly as she hesitated, yoyo in hand. "Can you tell me more about him? Your crush?" he asked, wanting to know who was so special that he couldn't compete. He could see Ladybug's face growing red.

"I...he's just amazing. He's kind and selfless and amazing and gorgeous." she said with a grin on her face. "He's got these amazing green eyes." She said. "But the best thing about him is that he's always trying to help people even though he is…" she trailed off about to mention that he was a famous model. "... ridiculously smart." She finished awkwardly.

"Ridiculously smart?" He asked with a raised eyebrow.

"Yeah. He was homeschooled for a long time and he has tutors for extra lessons after school." She said.

'Homeschooled?' Chat thought. 'Still has tutors?' he continued realizing that she sounded almost like she was describing him.

"What's his name?" He asked.

"Why? So that you can pay him a visit? You gonna bring him a mostly dead mouse?" She asked.

"Just curious. For all I know, you have a crush on me." Chat said with a wink.

"I think I would know if I had a crush on you." Ladybug said. "I really should get back." She said. Chat's shoulders slumped.

"Oh, that girl Alya who writes the Ladyblog is set to interview me later at the park. You wanna drop by? I'm sure she'd appreciate it." He said.

"I'll do my best, kitty." Ladybug said as she threw her yoyo.

"It's at 5." Chat shouted after her before making his way back to school as well. He transformed back into himself when he got back into the bathroom, offering Plagg a piece of camembert from his bag.

"Kid, you've got it bad." Plagg said.

"In the pocket, Plagg." Adrien said, holding his over shirt open a bit.

"Nah, I'll go in the bag." Plagg said.

"Fine, but don't eat all the camembert again." Adrien stated. He then rushed to class to see that Marinette was missing. He quickly say down as Ms. Bustier purposely ignored his tardiness. She was used to his habit of being late.

"Where's Marinette?" He whispered to Nino who shrugged in response. Adrien looked to Alya when just shook her head.

 **A/N: Finally got done with Chapter 10 and started working on Chapter 11. Anyway, I hope you enjoyed this chapter.**


	5. Chapter 5

**"** **Where's Marinette?" He whispered to Nino who shrugged in response. Adrien looked to Alya when just shook her head.**

"Marinette! If you don't want him to know who you are then you can't tell him things like that!" Tikki stated angrily when the transformation ended.

"I just couldn't help it. He wanted to know about Adrien." She said.

"Yes, and how many boys in your class were homeschooled, kind, selfless models?" Tikki asked.

"I didn't say he was a model." Marinette said pointedly.

"Barely" Tikki responded.

"I don't need a lecture, Tikki." Marinette said.

"You might as well tell him." Tikki stated. "Instead of just giving him hints." She added.

"Oh come on, Tikki. Even if he did figure out that I was talking about Adrien I'm hardly the only girl who has a crush on him." Marinette replied. "Now, I've got to get to class." She added, opening her purse. "You can eat the cookies that are in there." She said as Tikki flew into her bag.

Once Tikki was safely in her purse, Marinette rushed to class and slipped into her seat. "You really need to get that checked out." Alya muttered to her. Marinette just nodded and tried to catch up to where the class was. At the next break in classes, Alya asked her what took so long.

"Oh, you know…" Marinette trailed off. Alya smirked.

"If I didn't know better, I'd think you and Adrien had a thing going on. But you can barely string a sentence together around him, so no worries." She said.

"Huh?" Marinette asked.

"Adrien and you always seem to be late to class." Alya explained. "At the same time." She added.

Marinette stammered when trying to form a comeback. It didn't help matters when Nino and Adrien came up to them. "I just, didn't feel well…" she finally managed to spit out.

"We know, girl." Alya replied.

"Do you dudes want to grab dinner tonight?" Nino asked.

Adrien and Alya both responded that they were busy at 5. Marinette looked surprised to hear that Adrien was busy. "It's my Chinese lesson. I had to miss one last week, so we're catching up today." He said in response to her suspicious glare. "What are you doing?" He asked.

"I am going to interview Chat Noir for the Ladyblog." Alya said simply. Adrien nodded.

"That should be exciting." He said. "I hear Chat is quite a fun guy." Adrien added. Marinette groaned. She didn't understand how Adrien could like Chat, though it was made obvious over the course of the last three years that he was quite the fan. "What? He's awesome. And he gets to hang out with Ladybug all the time." He said.

"He's not that awesome. Ladybug is always saving him." Marinette muttered.

"I bet if you knew him better you'd think differently." Adrien stated. He knew that Marinette knew Chat quite well, but didn't want to let on that he knew this.

"I know him quite well actually." Marinette said.

"Yeah, she totally knows him." Alya said with a wink.

"What's that about?" Adrien asked.

"It's nothing." Alya replied, but Marinette quickly started to blush. Adrien looked confused for a moment and the realization dawned on his face when he remembered that Alya had come into Marinette's room while he'd been there this morning.

"W-we should get back to class." Marinette said and then rushed to her next class.

At lunch, Marinette sketched a rough design in her sketchbook. Adrien's birthday was coming up and, for the third year in a row, Marinette was going to make him something. This year, she decided to make him a new messenger bag. She sketched the design and then all of the details that she was going to incorporate. She was sitting alone on a bench outside while she sketched. She was almost done with the drawing when a shadow fell over her paper. Marinette looked up, ready to ask the person to get out of her light as politely as she could only to see Chloe.

"Hi Chloe." She said unenthusiastically, knowing that the girl wouldn't move even if she did ask nicely.

"What do you think you're doing?" Chloe asked, Marinette saw Sabrina behind her nodding vigorously.

"Drawing…" Marinette said cautiously.

"With Adrien." Chloe replied. A confused look came across Marinette's face. "Don't think we haven't noticed that the two of you always disappear together in class." Chloe said.

"I don't know what you're talking about." Marinette stated. Chloe huffed indignantly and then looked at the sketch Marinette had made. Before Marinette could stop her, Chloe ripped the drawing out of the sketchbook and shredded it. "My sketch…" Marinette said as Chloe dropped the ripped pieces of paper to the ground. "That was for…" Marinette started angrily, but Chloe cut her off.

"That was for messing with my Adrikins. You leave him alone or that won't be the last thing you lose. Adrien is mine." Chloe said and rushed away. Marinette tried to keep her feelings in check, but she just felt rage from what had happened. How could Chloe do that? That bag was going to be for Adrien and now she would have to start all over on the design.

Marinette moved to gather the pieces of paper, but something stopped her. Suddenly, she heard a voice. "Designer, I am Hawkmoth. I can help you get revenge for the destruction of your property, but you have to do something for me in return. You have to get me Ladybug and Chat Noir's miraculouses." The voice said. Marinette knew that she should refuse, but felt herself nod instead. She was then transformed into a twisted version of herself.

"Marinette!" Tikki tried shouting at her as Marinette stood and turned. The Kwami was stuck in Marinette's purse. Normally, she could phase through it, but today some unknown force was keeping her locked away. What Tikki didn't know, was that purse was where the akuma was. Marinette had hand-made the purse before her freshman year, before she had gotten her miraculous. It was one of Marinette's few prized possessions.

Marinette took her sketchbook and pencil and walked after Chloe. She sketched a pair of shackles and her design appeared around Chloe's wrists and ankles. Marinette didn't notice Adrien's driver pull up and she then drew a gaudy dress for Chloe.

"What are you doing?!" Chloe shouted. "No, no you can't." She shouted again as her outfit changed to the dress Marinette had designed for her. Sabrina shrieked and ran away when she saw Marinette, the Designer. "Wait until Daddykins hears about this, Marinette!" Chloe said angrily.

"I'm not Marinette, I'm Designer. You'll learn to appreciate my designs." She said.

"M-Marinette?" Adrien's voice asked behind her. He was clearly in shock. Marinette only briefly glanced over her shoulder before drawing a new hat to match Chloe's dress.

 **A/N: Okay, I have officially written the ending of this story. Like I said, it's fairly short and I hope you guys won't be disappointed. You do have 8 chapters to look forward to. I hope you've enjoyed the story so far and will enjoy it from here on out as well.**

 **I did want to address a review that I've been getting about Chat knowing about Ladybug's flaws and about how she still dismisses his feelings. This is actually on purpose. She does actually realize these things later in the story.**


	6. Chapter 6

**"** **M-Marinette?" Adrien's voice asked behind her. He was clearly in shock. Marinette only briefly glanced over her shoulder before drawing a new hat to match Chloe's dress.**

Adrien ran around the side of the building after he saw Marinette. "Plagg…" he started, but his Kwami cut him off.

"Wait, kid…" Plagg said, flying in front of his chosen's face.

"Plagg, this is no time to ask for cheese. Marinette was akumatized." Ardien said. He was about to transform when Plag spoke again.

"You need to get ready for this fight because Ladybug isn't coming." Plagg said, having sensed who was akumatized.

"How would you know that?" Adrien asked, dumbfounded.

"She just won't. So keep your stamina up and only use your cataclysm when you're going after the object that the akuma is hiding in." Plagg replied. Adrien shook his head.

"Plagg, claws out." He said and transformed into Chat Noir, not believing for a moment that Ladybug would leave him hanging. He quickly made his way out to Marinette. The ribbons tying her hair now extended to her waist. Her clothes had transformed as well. Her shirt was a silk fabric that came down to her waist on the right and the draped down to her knee on the left. It had an almost floral look to the design. The pants underneath were plain black. "Marinette, this isn't you." He said, unable to bring himself to act like he normally would.

"You're right. But that's because I'm not Marinette." The woman turned and looked at Chat. "I'm Designer." She said. She sketched a design in her sketchbook quickly and Chat rushed away from where he had stood. Soon he was glad that he had as a scarf appeared where he had been standing poised to tie him up. Since he wasn't there anymore, it just fell uselessly to the ground.

"This cat isn't going into the bag that easily." he said from the top of his staff. Designer quickly sketched again. Chat used the staff to get away, but Designer hadn't made something for him. She'd made herself a red and black yoyo. It was Ladybug's yoyo.

"I don't have time for your childish games. Give me your miraculous." Marinette said, flinging the yoyo toward Chat in a very familiar way. Chat jumped away and spun his staff to give him more distance. Marinette threw her yoyo at him expertly. Chat was only able to keep from being ensnared by sacrificing his staff. Marinette yanked the metal contraption out of Chat's hand. "Waiting for Ladybug to come and rescue you again?" She asked in a taunting voice before diving for him.

Chat dodged and looked Marinette over. Plagg had said to use his cataclysm on the object that held the akuma. His first instinct was either the pen or the sketchbook. He dodged another attack that she made while he looked her over. The pen made the most obvious sense. At least it did until he remembered how often she wore her purse. In fact, he'd never seen her anywhere without it. "I'm not waiting for anything Princess." He said with a smirk before shouting "Cataclysm."

Marinette's eyes narrowed as Chat came toward her with his Cataclysm. She dodged his initial attack and resorted to kicking him in the side and flinging her yoyo at him again. Chat dove away from the attack, careful to not let his hand touch anything. He then sprang to his feet and charged after her again. She ducked away from him before drawing quickly on her sketchbook. Chat dove toward her and grabbed her purse before she could finish the drawing. The purse disintegrated in his hand revealing what appeared to be a small pink toy. However, Chat gasped as he recognized the object as a Kwami. The small red being with a black dot on her forehead stayed completely still as there were other people around who could see her.

Marinette looked confused as she was transformed back into herself, the akuma flying away. "What happened?" She asked, looking around before she saw Tikki in Chat's hands. Her eyes widened in horror.

"M'lady." Chat said after he came to his senses and offered the Kwami back to Marinette who tentatively reached out and grabbed the Kwami before running into the school and to the bathroom.

"You need to go after that akuma." Tikki said quickly as soon as the door shut. "Now, now, now." She insisted.

"But Chat…" Marinette started.

"There's no time." Tikki said. "You need to transform now before that akuma gets back to Hawkmoth." She added.

Marinette nodded. "Tikki, spots on" she said and transformed. She left the bathroom through the window just before Alya started pounding on the door, shouting for her.

As she swung through the streets, Chat Noir caught up to her using his staff, his ring beeping loudly. "It went this way." He said, seeming to know what she was after. Ladybug was thankful that he didn't say anything about her alter-ego.

"Where is it?" She looked frantically as they stopped on a rooftop.

"There" Chat pointed as the butterfly flew by. It was out of reach and flying fast.

"Lucky charm" Ladybug shouted, throwing the yoyo into the air. It came back down with a butterfly net. Ladybug looked around and came up with a quick plan. She flung the net and watched it bound off of a wall and then catch the butterfly as it fell onto another roof. She quickly swung over to the roof, not even noticing that Chat wasn't by her side.

She lifted the net and caught the akuma with ease. "Bye bye little butterfly." She said before returning everything to normal and looking back to where Chat had been. She had mixed feelings about his departure until she realized that he had been going to turn back. She was in no way shape or form ready to know who he was. She wasn't even ready for him to know who she was, but that cat was certainly out of the bag now.

 **A/N: And here we have the true first reveal. Sorry that I kinda suck at writing akuma attacks. There's only one more in the story, so hopefully that is some kind of compensation.**


	7. Chapter 7

**She was in no way shape or form ready to know who he was. She wasn't even ready for him to know who she was, but that cat was certainly out of the bag now.**

Adrien had gotten down to street level before changing back in an alley. Plagg was clearly worn out. "It's perfect that Marinette is Ladybug." He said while spinning and holding out the Kwami. "She's so awesome." He said, feeling elated for just a moment before his face fell.

"I agree, kid. This moment needs a lot more camembert." He said.

"Plagg, she didn't want me to know who she was. And now I know. And I can't unknown it. I just…I don't want things to change because of this. And I can't even tell her who I am." He said.

"Why not?" Plagg asked as he laid back in Adrien's hands.

"You've seen how she acts around me. It would be disastrous if she found out that I am Chat Noir. Paris would be doomed if Ladybug turned into a shy and self-conscious schoolgirl every time she saw Chat Noir." Adrien said.

"I see your point, kid." Plagg said.

"And now I just feel guilty." He said. "She didn't want me to know and now I do." He added.

"You know what I feel?" Plagg asked. Adrien looked at the Kwami hopeful for advice. "Empty. Get me some camembert." The Kwami stated. Adrien let out a sigh.

"Yeah, I'll get you the stinky cheese." He said, opening his over shirt so that Plagg could nestle into the pocket. "We should get back to school." Adrien said as he made his way out into the street. He went to the nearest shop that looked like it sold cheese and bought some camembert. He stuffed the cheese in his shirt pocket where Plagg was while he walked back to school. When he got there, he found that classes had been cancelled for the rest of the day due to the akuma attack. "What happened?" He asked Nino when he saw the other boy in the hallway.

"Marinette was akumatized. Chat Noir took care of it right away, but Ladybug didn't show so the akuma got away. Marinette locked herself in the bathroom and won't let anyone in." Nino replied. Alya was knocking on the bathroom door.

"Marinette, let me in. It's okay." She said through the door. "What is that girl doing in there?" She muttered.

"She's probably in shock. She won't have remembered what she did." Adrien stated. Suddenly, they saw Ladybug's power sweep through the area. "Ladybug must have caught the akuma and set everything back to normal." He said in response.

Alya knocked on the door again. "Did you hear that, Girl? Ladybug caught the akuma. You're in the clear." She said loudly.

"She probably just wants to be left alone." Adrien stated.

"Well we can't just leave her alone in the school. Everyone's going home." Alya said, pounding on the door again. This lasted until Marinette walked out, clutching her purse like it was her only lifeline. Of course, now Adrien knew just how important it was to her. It was where Tikki was.

"Hi Marinette. Let's get you home." Adrien stated. He was barely able to keep from stuttering now that he knew who she really was.

Marinette just nodded. "Girl, don't be so upset. We've all been akumatized." Alya said, putting a comforting hand on Marinette's shoulder.

"Adrien hasn't." She barely squeaked.

Adrien felt a red blush rise to his cheeks. "I just have gotten lucky." He said. The four friends then started to walk toward Marinette's house.

"You really don't have to walk me home." Marinette said.

"Yes I do, girl. Where do you think I'm going to be waiting until 5? I'm not going all the way back to my house." Alya stated. Marinette nodded. They walked the rest of the way to Marinette's house in silence.

"You're home early." Sabine stated when they walked into the bakery.

"There was an akuma attack. We got the rest of the day off from school." Adrien stated simply. He wasn't going to be the one to tell her that the victim had been Marinette.

"Okay. Do you kids want any cookies? We have some that just came out of the oven." Sabine asked with a smile.

"Sure" Alya said. The four then went upstairs to Marinette's room. They sat in an awkward silence that ended up being broken by Marinette.

"So, what did I do?" She asked quietly. "When I was akumatized." She clarified when no one answered.

"Girl, you designed the most hideous dress for Chloe. It was hilarious." Alya said, suddenly bursting out laughing. Alya then whipped out her phone. Of course she had gotten pictures of the event. Adrien was grateful that she had when a smile came to Marinette's lips.

He felt his heart flutter as she looked through the pictures. "Well, I guess that's not so bad.

"What happened to make you upset?" Adrien wondered.

A blush rose to Marinette's face. "I w-was drawing and Chloe r-ripped up my design." she said, clearly not releasing the whole truth. Adrien nodded.

The next few hours went by slowly with Marinette slowly becoming her normal self. Then Alya realized the time. "I've got to go, Girl. Wouldn't want Chat Noir coming into my bedroom for that interview. We'd be down a superhero if that happened." She said with a giggle and a wink. "Come on, Nino." Alya stated.

"But I was gonna…" Nino started, but Alya pulled him out of the room and down the stairs to leave Marinette and Adrien alone. Adrien gulped.

"S-so, how are you feeling?" He asked hesitantly, his stomach twisting uncomfortably. This was Ladybug. Marinette was Ladybug.

"I'm doing okay." Marinette said, deciding to look around the room rather than at him. A blush suddenly came to her cheeks and she looked down at the floor with wide eyes. Adrien noticed the change in her demeanor. He moved over to sit next to her on the loft edge.

"It's okay, Marinette. You have nothing to be ashamed of. Akumas attack. It can't be stopped." He said, not realizing that she was blushing so much because she had forgotten that there were so many pictures up of him. She had, over the years, relegated those pictures to one wall, but had always taken them down when he came to visit. Adrien had yet to notice them as either himself or Chat Noir.

"I-I know…" She said. She then checked her watched. "I had better get started on homework. You should probably go." Marinette said quickly. Normally, Adrien would argue and say that he should stay and help her with her homework, but he couldn't form the words. Then he remembered why Alya left.

She and Nino would be waiting for him. Him and Ladybug. Him and Marinette if she decided to come. "Yeah. I...I guess I'll go. See you tomorrow at school?" He asked.

"Yeah." Marinette said all too quickly.

Adrien nodded before making his way to the door. "If...if you need any h-help with your homework just call me." He said awkwardly with the door open. Marinette just nodded quickly. Adrien left and made his way out to the street and into an alley to transform.

He made it to the park just in time as Alya and Nino were getting ready to leave. "There you are." Alya said.

"Here I am." Chat replied with a smirk.

Alya took out her phone and started a video recording of him. "So, Chat Noir, I hear that the other day you ended up under an akuma's spell." She said dramatically for the video. "Do you remember anything about it?" She asked.

Chat crossed his arms and smiled. "Not a thing. I never do remember what happens in those instances." He said.

"So you don't remember defeating the Storyteller?" Alya confirmed.

"No, that was all Ladybug." He said.

"Speaking of Ladybug, there was an attack today at a local school. You handled that attack by yourself. Where was Ladybug?" She asked.

"Somewhere important." Chat responded.

"Was she trying to take down Hawkmoth?" Alya asked.

"We're always trying to take down Hawkmoth." Chat responded.

"But did she have a lead as to where Hawkmoth is? Is that why she wasn't there?" Alya asked.

"I'd love to know why M'lady wasn't there, but I don't." He said, not letting on that the victim herself was Ladybug.

Alya nodded. "And where is she now?" She asked.

"Probably keeping an eye out for trouble." Chat replied.

"Or keeping my eyes peeled for you." Ladybug said as she landed beside him.

"Where did you come from, M'lady?" Chat asked.

"You asked me to come, remember kitty?" She said. Her voice was confident, but Chat could see worry in her eyes.

"Ladybug, where were you earlier today?" Alya asked.

"I had my hands full. I'm just glad that Chat Noir had my back." Ladybug stated.

"What's it like saving the city from akumas so frequently?" Alya asked.

"It's good to know that we're making a difference." Ladybug said.

"Is it true that the akumas have been attacking more frequently?" Alya asked.

"Yes, they do seem to be attacking more frequently." Ladybug replied. She then felt Chat Noir retreating away and reached out to grab his hand and keep him there. Chat felt his stomach do a summersault. "All of us need to be careful and keep a level head to keep from being akumatized." She added.

"One more question." Alya said and Ladybug lifted her chin slightly, waiting for the question. "This is a question that we get a lot. Are you and Chat Noir romantically involved?" Alya asked.

Chat saw as the color drained from Ladybug's face. It was obvious that she hadn't been expecting that question. "No" he saved her. "Despite my many requests, M'lady is far too classy to fall for this stray cat." He said with a smirk. Ladybug's face seemed to fall even more when he said this. She couldn't help thinking about how he had been by her side through thick and thin and now even knew who she was and still stood by her.

Alya nodded and turned off the video. "Thank you so much, both of you." Alya said, offering her hand in a fist. Ladybug responded with a fist bump, faking enthusiasm.

"See you next time." She said simply before turning to Chat and nodding toward the nearby rooftop that just so happened to be the roof of Marinette's home. She swung away from the group, closely followed by Chat and his staff. When she got to her balcony, she let her transformation drop. Chat landed just as Tikki escaped Marinette's earrings.

"You need to speak with me, M'lady?" Chat asked with a smile.

"I...I don't want to know who you are." Marinette said. Chat already knew this. He also knew that it wouldn't be good for her to know that he was Adrien. "I hope that you're okay with…me… Being Ladybug that is." she said, still unsure about his views.

"My Princess and my Bug-a-boo are the same person. What on Earth would make you think that I could be upset about that?" Chat asked, titling his head slightly.

"You mean you're not disappointed?" Marinette asked.

"Disappointed? Elated would be a better word." Chat replied taking a step toward Marinette who backed away causing Chat to stop.

"I know that you love me, Chat, but I love someone else." She said. "It wouldn't be fair of me to say any different." She added quietly.

Chat had a strong urge to let go of his transformation. To show her that he was Adrien. However, he couldn't bring himself to do it for the reasons that he had told Plagg earlier. "What if I'm the boy that you love?" He asked, knowing from her description earlier that she did like him as Adrien.

"That's impossible, Chat." Marinette replied. She then paused as she thought about what Alya had said earlier before shaking her head. She refused to entertain the idea that Adrien was Chat Noir.

Chat just nodded. "He's a really lucky guy." He said, surprised that he could feel jealous of himself.. "I had better go, Princess." He said, taking a quick step forward to grab Marinette's hand and bring it to his lips to deposit a kiss. "Sweet dreams Bug-a-boo." He said with a charming smile and a wink. He then leaped from her window, and used his staff to make his way through the city to his own home.

Marinette made her way through the trapdoor and into her room. "He's taking it alright, Marinette. You shouldn't worry so much." Tikki said.

"He said he was elated, Tikki." Marinette said, feeling a flutter in her chest that she thought had been reserved for Adrien. "He is...he's happy that I'm Ladybug." Marinette said.

"Of course he is, Marinette!" Tikki squeaked.

Marinette then realized something and her face dropped suddenly. "He knows that I was curious about who he is." She suddenly said.

"What?" Tikki asked.

"He was here this morning...when I asked him who he was. He knows that I'm me. He knows that I, Ladybug, was asking him who he was." She said frantically. "What if he thinks it's okay to tell me? What if he casually drops in here tomorrow and just takes off his miraculous?" She started pacing and pulling at her hair.

"Marinette! If he was going to do that, he would have done it tonight." Tikki said, flying into Marinette's face.

"Why wouldn't he? He's wanted to show me for years!" Marinette said, realizing that it was strange that he hadn't showed her. She then realized that he hadn't because he knew she didn't want to know. He was always putting her wants and needs ahead of her own.

"He is probably wanting to give you time. To let you get comfortable with him knowing who you are." Tikki responded. "And you told him that you don't want to know." She added.

Marinette took a few deep breaths and sat on the edge of her bed. "Do you think he was being honest? That he actually is happy that I'm Ladybug?" She asked hesitantly.

"Yes, Marinette!" Tikki responded instantly. Marinette nodded and then her phone dinged to let her know that she had a message. She looked at her phone to see that she had a text from Alya. She smirked when she saw Alya talking about her interview. Nino had apparently dragged her to dinner afterward, but she had still uploaded the interview to the Ladyblog.

Marinette was about to reply to Alya's text when a new text came in...from Adrien. Her breath caught as she saw his name come up. She hadn't even known that he had her phone number.

 _'Are you okay?'_ was all that the text said. A second one quickly came in after.

 _'This is Adrien, by the way. I got your number from Nino who got it from Alya. I hope you don't mind.'_

Marinette was about to respond when another text came in.

 _'You don't have to respond if you don't want to.'_

Marinette couldn't help feeling that he might have been just as flustered as she normally was when talking to him.

 _'That's okay. I'm doing better now.'_ she replied simply.

 _'Good. Did you need help with your homework?'_ he responded. Marinette could have smacked herself. Of course he would remember that she had kicked him out so that she could do her homework. And then she had promptly talked with Tikki about today's events again before joining Chat Noir and Alya for the interview in the park.

 _'No. It was good.'_ she responded.

 _'Okay. If you ever need anything just ask.'_ he responded quickly followed by. _'Not that I think you would need help.'_ Marinette smiled at that.

 _'Okay.'_ she responded. She found it easier to talk to him without being able to see him.

"I guess I should actually do that homework, huh?" She asked and Tikki agreed vigorously. Marinette struggled with her homework late into the night. She found that it was difficult to concentrate with everything that had gone on. When she finally finished, she was more than ready for bed and laid down to sleep with Tikki on the pillow next to her. She still couldn't manage to sleep.

 **A/N: This chapter was an awkward one to write. By the way, (and this doesn't actually play into the story) but in this story, Alya does know that Marinette and Adrien are Ladybug and Chat Noir...and she does ship them. Okay, so it plays a little bit into later chapters, but it still isn't explicitly said. Oh, and Alya hasn't told Adrien or Marinette that she knows.**


	8. Chapter 8

**When she finally finished, she was more than ready for bed and laid down to sleep with Tikki on the pillow next to her. She still couldn't manage to sleep.**

Adrien couldn't help feeling stupid during the texting conversation. It didn't help that Plagg was reading the texts over her shoulder and was pointing out the various issues. It was Plagg that had suggested that Adrien had implied that Marinette needed help. By the end of the conversation, he didn't dare touch his phone again. Why had he asked Nino for Marinette's number? He felt like a stalker.

He didn't like feeling like a stalker and yet he had the urge to transform and go to see Marinette again. It was an urge that he didn't indulge. Instead he did his homework and then played one of the arcade games in the corner of his room.

"Adrien?" He heard his father call through the door before knocking.

"Yes father?" Adrien asked, opening the door.

"I hear you went to school on your own this morning." He said. "...without your bodyguard." he added in a threatening voice.

"I'm old enough to not need a bodyguard." Adrien stated.

"Adrien! You are my son. That makes you a target. If you refuse to be accompanied to school with your bodyguard then I'm going to have to take you out of your classes and have you home schooled again." Gabriel stated, pinching the bridge of his nose in frustration.

"Understood, father. I'll let him drive me from now on." Adrien said.

"And you will come home right after classes." Gabriel stated.

"I would like some time to spend with friends." Adrien stated.

"You can schedule time with your friends with Nathalie." Gabriel stated. "No more of this spontaneous running off." He added.

Adrien knew that arguing wouldn't get him anywhere so he just nodded. "Understood." He said simply. "Is there anything else, father?" He asked.

"No. Good night, Adrien." Gabriel stated.

"Good night, father." Adrien said as his father closed the door behind him. Adrien sat down on the couch and let out a groan. "He acts like I'm a child." Adrien said, frustrated.

"So ignore him." Plagg responded.

"I can't do that, Plagg. He'll take me out of school." Adrien responded.

"Big deal. I never understood why you liked that place to begin with." Plagg responded. Adrien looked at the Kwami, his annoyance evident on his face.

"My friends are at school." He responded dryly.

"You have that box thing (phone)...and you can turn into a superhero and escape any time you want. Why would you need to go to school?" Plagg asked, frustrated.

"You just don't understand." Adrien stated.

"You're right. I don't." Plagg said.

"It's only for one more year and then I'll be going to University." Adrien stated.

"Sure." Plagg said. "Because he won't hold the cost of your education over your head to keep you in line." He added sarcastically. Adrien hadn't thought about this before and found himself burying his face in his pillow.

"What am I supposed to do?" He muttered into the pillow. "I can't go to school on my own. I have to schedule time to see Marinette. I can't just go out whenever I want." He whined.

"Don't you mean Nino?" Plagg asked.

"Huh?" Adrien asked, confused.

"That you have to schedule time to see Nino." Plagg said. "You almost never spend time with Marinette. And when you do, it's with Nino." Plagg stated.

"Well I was going to try to start spending time with her." Adrien stated.

"You can barely talk to her with the box thing. Why would you assume that you'll be able to spend time with her alone?" Plagg asked. Adrien just buried his face into the pillow again with a groan.

 **A/N: Sorry this chapter is so short, but it was awfully fun to write. I just love having Plagg make fun of Adrien.**


	9. Chapter 9

**"** **You can barely talk to her with the box thing. Why would you assume that you'll be able to spend time with her alone?" Plagg asked. Adrien just buried his face into the pillow again with a groan.**

The next morning, Adrien sat in the car next to Nathalie while she tapped on her tablet. "Can we schedule some time for me to see my friends tonight?" He asked.

"Which friends?" Nathalie asked.

"Nino." He muttered thinking about what Plagg had said the night before.

"I might be able to pencil in time for you to spend with him...tonight at 7 pm." she said after a moment. Adrien just nodded. When they arrived, he immediately went through the school and to his classroom. He sat down at the same seat he always did and waited for the other students to show up.

Nino came in a little while later followed by Alya and Marinette. Adrien had slumped down in his seat, but instantly sat upright when he saw Marinette. She had dark circles under her eyes. "H-hi Marinette." He said, forcing the words to come out.

"Hi" Marinette said shyly before quickly sitting down. She was actually on time for once and it was all because she had tossed and turned all night. She focused her attention on the table as Alya sat down next to her. Adrien couldn't stop himself from staring at her as her head started to droop. Alya nudged her drowsy friend whose head snapped up quickly.

Marinette looked at Alya who nodded toward Adrien. Adrien quickly looked away, blushing. "So, Nino...want to hang out tonight at 7?" Adrien said.

"Alya and I are going to a movie…" Nino started only to be kicked in the back by his girlfriend. "...I mean sure…" another kick and he turned around to see Alya nodding at Marinette. "...I mean... Marinette is going?" He said hesitantly and Alya sighed.

"What he's trying to say is that maybe you could ask someone else in the classroom who has an open night?" Alya said confidently. Adrien felt himself blush.

"I, uh….guess I'll tag along with the two of you to the movie…" Adrien stated.

"You're not invited." Alya said bluntly.

"You can't stop me from going to a movie." Adrien said incredulously.

"You're not going to sit with us." Alya stated and nudged Marinette again.

Marinette just stared and didn't seem to know what to say.

"M-Marinette? I...would you like...do you want…" Adrien trailed off as Chloe came into the room.

"Adrikins!" She shouted. "There is a new romcom in the theater and you're taking me!" She said in a high-pitched, whiny voice.

"Sorry, Chloe. I don't have any time." Adrien replied.

"Well make time." Chloe responded. Adrien shut down after the comment as the teacher walked in and class started. Part of him was thankful for the interruption. What would Ladybug, no...Marinette. What would Marinette do to him when she found out that he was Chat Noir? That he waited to ask her out until he knew she was Ladybug? She would never forgive him.

Though the only reason he hadn't asked the girl behind him out before was because he was infatuated with Ladybug. He had known that he had a crush on her for a while, but he hadn't wanted to make a move in case Ladybug and he became closer. Now that he knew his Princess was Ladybug, he wished that he had asked her out before. After the class was over, his heart skipped a beat as Marinette spoke to him.

"Adrien...you me wanted to say. I mean, you wanted to say something to me?" She asked.

"I…" he paused as his gut told him she would never forgive him. "...nothing." he said.

"O-okay." She said before leaving the room to go to her next class.

"Dude, why didn't you ask her out? You can't tell me you don't like her." Nino said as the two packed up and left.

"It's just...nothing." Adrien stated.

"Look, come to the movie, okay?" Nino asked.

"But Alya…" Adrien started.

"Don't worry about Alya." Nino stated. Adrien nodded, not realizing that his friend had a plan.

 **A/N: I'm sure that you guys can see where this is going. I really had fun writing the next chapter. Hope you like it. Sorry this one and the last one are so short. The next one is fairly long to make up for it.**


	10. Chapter 10

**"** **Don't worry about Alya." Nino stated. Adrien nodded, not realizing that his friend had a plan.**

Adrien made his way into the theater after purchasing his ticket. He was sure that Nino and Alya were already there. He grabbed some popcorn at the counter, determined not to let being a model ruin the night for him. He'd work off the calories as Chat Noir anyway. He made his way into the crowded theater figuring that he was never going to find Nino.

"Adrien. Down here, buddy." Nino shouted, waving his hands around. Adrien made his way to his friend. "Saved you a seat right there." Nino stated, pointing to an empty seat a few rows up.

"Why didn't you save one here?" Adrien asked.

"Trust me, you want that one." Nino replied.

"But Nino." Adrien started to whine.

"Get down there!" Nino stated.

Adrien's shoulder's slumped and he made his way down to the row with the empty seat. Then he saw who was sitting next to it. Marinette was saving the seat for him. She seemed so at ease. He felt his stomach twisting as he started to make his way toward her. "Is this seat open?" He managed to get out.

"I-I'm saving it for Alya." Marinette stuttered. "Not that I don't want you to sit here. I would want you to sit here, but Alya's going to sit here so you ca…" Marinette spoke quickly barely taking a breath until a piece of candy sailed through the air and hit her in the back of the head. "Ow" she said rubbing the spot as she turned to see Alya smirking at her from her seat a few rows back. "Whaaa….oh." Marinette said as realization set in.

Adrien scooted past her and into the seat. "Do you want some of my popcorn?" He asked awkwardly while waiting for the movie to start.

"No. No, I really couldn't." Marinette said, a blush clear on her cheeks even in the dimmed lights. Adrien felt his heart pounding against his ribcage. He couldn't believe that his friends set up a date for him with Marinette. With Ladybug.

The awkwardness didn't end when the lights dimmed and previews played on the screen. Adrien was very aware of the fact that Marinette was hunched slightly in order to keep from using the arm rest. He did the same and found that it still wasn't comfortable. He contemplated eating some of his popcorn, but he was afraid that he wouldn't be able to with how his stomach was twisting.

About 5 minutes into the movie, Adrien felt his phone vibrate from a text message. He ignored it. About ten messages later he discreetly looked at the screen (he's normally not this rude in the theater) and saw that the texts were from Nino.

 _'What are you doing?'_

 _'Don't act like you don't like her.'_

' _Make a freaking move, man.'_

 _'Take your arm and put it around her.'_

 _'At least give her some popcorn.'_

 _'Seriously, what are you doing?'_

And those were just the ones that Adrien could read in that one glance before putting his phone away. He wanted to. He would have given anything to just put his arm around her. He almost did, but caught himself.

He was sure that she would hate him for taking advantage. He wanted her to know who he was before he took any steps forward with her. His phone kept going off throughout the rest of the movie, but he didn't look at it again. He did offer Marinette his uneaten popcorn every once in awhile, but she wouldn't take it. He knew that she was probably freaking out about as much as he was.

When the movie was over, they walked out of the theater together. "That was a good movie." He said simply, mentally chiding himself. Could he really not come up with something better to say?

"Yeah." Marinette said and then bit her lip as if she wanted to say something more. Adrien knew that he shouldn't do anything else, that he should just call the Gorilla and go home. But something kept him from it.

"Marinette, I...do you want to…" he was cut off and started to have flashbacks to this morning.

"Adrikins!" That voice rang out and Adrien winced. "I thought you were busy." She said as she came up.

"I should go." Marinette said.

"No." Adrien said quickly, reaching out and grabbing Marinette's hand. "I was busy, Chloe. I was busy seeing the movie with Marinette." He said. Chloe's mouth just dropped open as if he had slapped her. "You really need to be nicer to her." He added before turning. "Come on, Marinette, let's go." He said. "You came here on the train, right?" He asked as he walked with her down the street. Marinette's eyes were wide as she hesitantly followed Adrien and all she could do was nod.

"What the hell just happened?" He could hear Chloe ask Sabrina.

Adrien walked with Marinette to the train station. As they descended into the station, Marinette finally spoke. "Thank you." She said in a tiny voice. Adrien was confused and turned with a raised eyebrow. "F-for standing up to Chloe for me. I know she's your friend and it was probably not easy for you to…" she trailed off as she looked into his vibrant green eyes.

"Hey, don't worry about it." Adrien said as they boarded the train. "Let's just get you home, okay?" he asked and Marinette nodded. Adrien suddenly became very aware of the fact that he was still holding her hand. "Sorry." He said with a nervous smile, quickly letting go and scratching his head.

The two stood awkwardly as the train left the station. Adrien's phone buzzed again and he was glad to have something to distract him.

 _'Oh come on, how can you have an entire date and not make a move?'_

Nino's most recent text made a blush come to Adrien's cheeks and he glanced around before seeing Alya and Nino staring at them from the next train car. Marinette saw his blush and followed his gaze to see Alya and Nino struggling to look like they hadn't been staring. Adrien glanced at her in time to see her glaring at Alya. He smirked, thinking about how she was probably going to have a few words with her friend later.

Adrien and Marinette both looked away from their friends. "That was nice of them." He said, the blush still clinging to his cheeks.

"What?" she asked.

"Having us see a movie together." He said, nervously rubbing his neck.

"What?" Marinette asked with wide eyes.

"Marinette, I…" he trailed off, making eye contact with her. He smiled briefly before his face fell. He couldn't say what he wanted to. He couldn't start a relationship with her without letting her know about his other half, his secret. "I should probably call the Gorilla and have him pick me up from your house." He said.

"Yeah." Marinette said. The rest of the train ride was in silence. Both of them got off at Marinette's stop. Adrien quickly called the Gorilla when they got up to street level. He then walked with Marinette to her house.

"Thank you." she said once they were outside the door to her parents bakery. "For walking me home." She said, nervously looking at the ground.

"Thank you for seeing the movie with me." He said with a smile. She looked up into his eyes, unaware that her parents were watching them through the window. Adrien found himself leaning toward her almost involuntarily. A car horn blared behind them when they were inches away from kissing making Adrien jump and back up, looking over his shoulder. "I...my ride is here. I guess I should…have a good night Marinette." He said flustered before he turned and rushed to the car, quickly getting in the back seat to see Nathalie waiting for him.

"Nino sure has changed." Nathalie said as they started driving away, causing Adrien's cheeks to turn even redder than they already were. "Your father will want to meet her." She added.

"What?" Adrien asked in panic.

"Your girlfriend." Nathalie said simply. "Is she why you didn't let your bodyguard take you to school yesterday?" She asked.

"No, I just wanted to walk yesterday. And she's not my girlfriend. She's just a friend. And he has met her. She's won some of his contests in the past." Adrien said quickly.

"The two of you seemed pretty cozy. And I mean in person, not over Skype." She said, tapping on the tablet. "Your father has tomorrow at 5pm available." She said.

"No!" Adrien said. Nathalie turned to him and smiled warmly.

"Don't worry, I think he'll like her." She said.

"We aren't dating. I just walked her home." Adrien started. He didn't like Nathalie's knowing smile.

"You seem to be walking her home a lot." She responded. "I'll set the time aside for you and your father to have dinner. You may invite a _friend_ if you'd like." Nathalie said, obviously meaning Marinette. Adrien nodded and looked out the window as they drove through the streets of Paris.

 **A/N: Yep, this is where Alya's shipping came in. Oh and I wasn't going to post this until tomorrow, but nice people asked me to post soon in reviews, so here ya go.**


	11. Chapter 11

**"** **I'll set the time aside for you and your father to have dinner. You may invite a** ** _friend_** **if you'd like." Nathalie said, obviously meaning Marinette. Adrien nodded and looked out the window as they drove through the streets of Paris.**

"Sweetie, you didn't tell us you were on a date!" Sabine exclaimed when a dazed Marinette came through the front door.

"Mom!" Marinette said. "It wasn't a date!" She added quickly.

"Don't lie to us. We saw you and Adrien." Tom said with a smile as he put a hand on Sabine's shoulder.

"I...we just...Alya and Nino left us." Marinette said quickly. Sabine and Tom just smiled at their daughter as she made her way upstairs to her room.

"Marinette! This is exactly what you wanted!" Tikki said flying out of Marinette's purse.

"It's not like he asked me out, Tikki. Our friends set this whole thing up." she responded. "Plus, I don't really know him all that well. All these years I've been dismissing Chat's feelings because he didn't know my name, but he knows me far better than I know Adrien." She added. Throughout the whole date she couldn't help thinking about Chat. It had made her even more uncomfortable. She had been with Adrien, almost kissed Adrien, and yet she couldn't get over the fact that Adrien wasn't wearing a mask and a long leather belt that formed into a tail.

"He was happy about it. He even told you so." Tikki exclaimed. "And you know more than you think about Adrien. You've spent a lot of time with him over the years." When Marinette didn't seem convinced, the kwami went on. "He stood up to Chloe for you!" Tikki said. "He likes you!" She added excitedly.

"I'm going to go to bed, Tikki." Marinette said. She climbed the ladder to her loft bed and then looked at the wall with all of the pictures of Adrien. She quickly got ready for bed before laying down. She couldn't help the smile that came to her lips as she thought about the night. Tikki joined her quickly.

"Don't be too hard on yourself, Marinette. It wasn't that bad of a date." The little kwami said.

"It wasn't a date." Marinette said, shaking her head. She tried to sleep, but couldn't. "What's wrong with me, Tikki?" She asked with a sigh after a while.

"Denial." The tiny red kwami said far too quickly.

"Tikki?" She asked after a minute.

"Yes Marinette?" Tikki asked.

"Do you think I've been too hard on Chat? I mean, we know each other so well and I've always been able to count on him. Yet I've never even thought about actually being with him because I've been so focused on Adrien." She asked.

"I think you just need to follow your heart. Do what you think is right." Tikki said.

Marinette shook her head, frustrated. The non-advice didn't help her to understand her feelings. She got up to make her way to her computer. She checked out the Ladyblog which hadn't been updated since the interview. She sighed and turned to her phone.

' _What did you do that for?'_

She texted to Alya, in regards to the date.

 _'You're welcome, girl. ;)'_

Marinette rolled her eyes. Her friend just didn't understand. Going to the movies with Adrien was amazing, but she hadn't been prepared for it at all. She was about to text Alya back when she received another text. This one was from Adrien.

 _'Thank you for seeing the movie with me again, Marinette.'_

Marinette's eyes widened as she saw the text. "Answer it!" Tikki said, having read the text over her shoulder.

"What can I say?" She asked.

"Tell him that you had a good night with him or that you want to go to another movie." Tikki said quickly.

 _'I had a good time, too.'_ Marinette typed and then her finger hovered over the send button as Chat flashed through her mind again. "I should just...go to bed." She said.

"But what about Adrien?" Tikki asked as Marinette stood and made her way to her bed.

"I'll...I'll talk to him tomorrow." She said.

Across the city, Adrien was pacing in his room, watching the phone. It had showed that she was typing back and then just stopped. "Why do you care so much about the box?" Plagg asked.

"What's she doing?" He asked.

"Probably sleeping...or eating cheese." The kwami replied.

"Maybe I should go and see her...see how she felt about tonight." Adrien suggested.

"Your father won't let you go out this late." Plagg said. "Just talk to her tomorrow."

"Tomorrow I'll see her as Adrien. She won't tell me anything unless...unless I go to her as Chat." He said with a smirk.

"Hey, let's talk abo…" Plagg was interrupted by Adrien shouting "Claws out."

Within minutes, Chat Noir vaulting through the city with his staff. He quickly made his way to Marinette's house and landed on her balcony. A confused Marinette opened the trapdoor and peeked out at him.

"Good evening, Princess." He said with a smile.

"Chat, what are you doing here so late?" She asked, a blush rising to her cheeks.

"Just wanted to stop by and chat." He said with a smirk as he made his way over to her. "Mind letting a stray into your room for a bit?" He asked.

"You know you can just drop in whenever you want, Chat." Marinette said as she waved for him to follow her down into her room. Once both were there, Marinette sat on her bed. "So, what do you want to talk about?" She asked.

Chat was about to ask her about the date when a picture caught his eye. His jaw dropped as he looked at the wall and saw various pictures of him. "So, you do like m...Adrien." he said. A deep blush set into Marinette's cheeks.

"I...yeah. I do...somewhat" She said.

"Is he why you weren't here earlier?" He asked.

"I was seeing a movie with him." Marinette said. "Our friends kinda set it up without us knowing." She said with a giggle. Chat smiled.

"Bug-a-boo, I wish you knew who I was beneath this mask." He said absently only to see horror cross her face. "Don't worry, I won't show you unless you really want to know." he added quickly. Marinette breathed a sigh of relief.

"Good. I don't think I could handle knowing who you are, too." Marinette stated.

"Maybe you should know who he is, Marinette. The two of you could confide in each other." Tikki said, coming out from behind Marinette's computer.

"Tikki!" Marinette shouted.

"What? He already knows who you are." Tikki said.

"Marinette, how was the movie?" Chat asked.

"Why do you want to know?" Marinette asked.

"You know cats and their curiosity." He said with a smirk.

"It was amazing. He even walked me home after." She said with a smile. "I thought he was going to kiss me." She said, seeming dazed. Her face then dropped as she thought about her conflicting feelings.

"I wanted to...I mean I'm sure he wanted to." Chat said, quickly correcting himself. He didn't have to worry about it as Marinette was lost in thought. He moved to sit next to her. "What if he wasn't what you thought?" He asked.

"What do you mean?" She asked.

"What if he had a secret that would disappoint you?" He asked.

"I don't think I could ever be disappointed in him." Marinette said, though she was starting to think that wasn't true.

"That's not true, when you first met him you were disappointed." He said.

"I didn't really know him then." Marinette reasoned. "I didn't realize how kind and selfless he was. I just thought that he was just like Chloe." She said.

"You should stay away from Adrien for a little while…" Chat said, remembering how little control he'd had earlier that evening.

"Jealous, kitty?" Marinette asked with a smirk. "Don't worry, I can't even talk to him." she said.

"Marinette, I just don't want him to hurt you." Chat said, putting his hand on her shoulder.

"He wouldn't do that." She responded.

"Not intentionally, but what if he did hurt you? What if he knew something about you and used that to get close to you?" He asked.

"What do you mean?" She asked.

"He has a crush on Ladybug. What if he found out that you're Ladybug?" He asked.

"How would you know who he has a crush on?" Marinette asked. "He has a crush on me?" She suddenly squeaked.

"Who wouldn't have a crush on you, M'lady?" He asked with a smirk and a wink. Marinette shook her head and rolled her eyes.

"You and I both know that I'm far from perfect, kitty." She said.

"So is Adrien." Chat replied.

"Are you kidding? He's so awesome!" She said and Chat just smiled and shook his head slightly.

"What about his friendship with Chloe?" Chat asked.

"It just shows how kind and loyal he is, that he's willing to stay by her." Marinette replied.

"What about the time he told you off for how you exposed Lila's lies?" He asked.

"I was out of line…" Marinette said before furrowing her brow.

"And what about when he ran off on Christmas Eve?" He asked.

"It was his first Christmas without his mom. He was upset." Marinette said.

"He made you think the Santa was akumatized. His actions caused you to hurt that man." Chat replied.

"Again, I was out of line." Marinette replied.

Chat nodded. "Well, I hope he's as great as you think he is." He said. "I guess I should go so that you can get some rest. I'll see you, Princess." He said, grabbing her hand and giving it a kiss. She felt that flutter in her chest again that was normally meant for Adrien.

"Thanks, Chat." Marinette said with a smile as Chat stood and, with a bow, left through her trapdoor.

"You really should let him tell you who he is." Tikki told Marinette as she laid down.

"Tikki…" Marinette trailed off.

"Yes, Marinette?" The kwami asked.

"How did Chat know that Adrien told me off? We were alone in that park." Marinette said.

"You told him, remember?" Tikki asked.

"I told him that I ruined Lila's chance with Adrien, not that he told me off." Marinette said.

"Maybe Adrien told him." Tikki said with a knowing smile.

"Must have." Marinette said.

 **A/N: Yes, Adrien totally brushed off the fact that Marinette has a wall full of pictures of him. He really has no room to judge with his obsession with Ladybug.**


	12. Chapter 12

**"Maybe Adrien told him." Tikki said with a knowing smile.**

 **"** **Must have." Marinette said.**

Plagg laughed as soon as Adrien let the transformation fall. "She has a wall dedicated to you." The kwami got out between laughs.

"Shut up, Plagg." Adrien said.

"She must have a clip from every magazine you've been in up there." Plagg continued.

"Hey" Adrien said.

"She probably has your schedule in her phone." The Kwami laughed.

"No camembert." Adrien said.

"Hey!" Plagg replied.

Adrien laid down on his bed. "It's nice to know that she likes me, too."

"Of course she likes you, have you seen how she acts around you?" Plagg said.

"Should I invite her to dinner tomorrow?" He asked.

"Who wouldn't want dinner?" Plagg said.

"No, to meet my dad. I mean, that would kind of be awkward, don't you think?" Adrien asked.

"What would be awkward about that?" Plagg asked.

"I don't know, it just seems big." Adrien said. "I can't even ask her out because I'm afraid of what she'll do when she finds out I'm Chat." He added.

"And that's a bad thing?" Plagg asked as he munched on some of the cheese on the table.

"A very bad thing, Plagg. She'll probably already be angry at me for the date we had tonight." He said.

"I think you think too much." Plagg said. Adrien just angrily shook his head.

"What do you know?" He asked angrily as he stormed off across the room to lay on his bed. The kwami finished his cheese and then joined his chosen on the bed.

"You'll figure it out, kid." he said as Adrien rolled away from him and went to sleep. He should have known that his rest wouldn't last for long. In the morning he woke, had breakfast, and was driven to school.

He walked into the classroom to see Alya and Nino were already there.

"Hey, did you have a good night?" Nino asked with a smirk.

"Why did you do that?" Adrien asked. "It didn't make either of us comfortable." He added.

"You're not supposed to be comfortable, Dude. Please tell me you at least asked her on another date." Nino replied.

"No, I didn't. I can't, Nino." Adrien said angrily.

"Uh, yeah you can." Nino said.

"No...you wouldn't understand." Adrien stated as he took his seat.

Marinette walked in and her face turned red as soon as she saw him. She walked to her seat quickly with wide eyes. "Oh, it was that bad, huh?" Nino asked. "I told you that you shouldn't eat tuna Adrien." He added, jokingly shoving the blond's arm.

"I didn't eat tuna." Adrien said.

When the teacher came in, Adrien turned so that he was facing the front of the room. He noticed that Chloe had not arrived despite the rest of their classmates, even Sabrina, being there. He was a little concerned for the mayor's daughter. It wasn't like her to be late.

Class started without any issues. However, then a commotion was heard in the basketball court. "Class, stay here." Said Ms Bustier. She went to check on the noise. She came back into the room quickly. "Lock that door." She instructed Kim as she locked the door that she was in front of.

"What's going on?" Adrien asked.

"Chloe's been akumatized and she's here." Ms Bustier said.

Adrien looked around for some way that he could get out to transform, but the only two entrances to the room were locked. "Shouldn't we get out?" He asked.

"There is no way out." Ms Bustier said. "It's best that we wait here for Ladybug and Chat Noir to take care of the akuma." Adrien looked up at Marinette and could see her looking around the room just as he had for an escape. There was none. He knew that they could only wait until Chloe got into the room and attacked for them to flee.

They didn't have to wait long as the girl came straight to the room that they were in. "Marinette, you will pay for what you've done." She shouted through the door.

 **A/N: Hope you liked the second to last chapter. The final chapter will be released tomorrow if everything goes according to plan.**


	13. Chapter 13

**"Marinette, you will pay for what you've done." She shouted through the door.**

"Me? What did I do?" Marinette asked even though Chloe hadn't gotten into the room and couldn't hear her. She stared out at her classmate. Chloe was standing at the window, looking into the room. Her outfit wasn't her usual one. It looked almost like the girl's Ladybug costume, but it wasn't her anti-bug costume. This one was gold and black and was covered in glitter. "What is she supposed to be." Marinette asked.

"Come out here, Marinette." Chloe shouted through the door. "Heartbreaker needs to see you." She said.

"Heartbreaker?" Marinette asked. She then stood and made her way to the window. "If you want me to come out you have to promise to leave everyone else alone!" She shouted through the glass.

"I don't have any use for them anyway." Heartbreaker replied. Marinette nodded.

"You can't do this Chloe." Adrien shouted as Marinette started toward the door. "Marinette, you can't go out there." He said, hopping over the table and rushing toward the door. He got there before her and blocked her path.

"Get out of my way, Adrien." Marinette said. Both Marinette and Adrien looked shocked by her demanding tone. "If I don't go out there, she'll come in here and she'll hurt everyone." She said.

"I can't let you go out there alone, M'lady." Adrien said.

"I'm waiting. If you're not out here in one minute, I'm coming in and our deal will be off. I'll start with Alya. I'll make her pay for being a friend of yours. Then I'll punish Nathaniel for having a crush on you…" Heartbreaker continued listing classmates and why she would hurt them.

Marinette pursed her lips as she stared Adrien down, but he wasn't budging. When it was abundantly clear that he wasn't going to move, she did the only thing she could. She threw all of her weight against him to catch him off balance and then she bolted for the door at the back of the room. Adrien wasn't able to recover in time to get to her before she left the room.

"Why didn't you stop her?" He shouted at Kim as he followed her through the door. He ducked into a closet. "Plagg, claws out." He said urgently. He then rushed out as Chat Noir to join Marinette against Heartbreaker.

"Ah, Chat Noir has come to play." Heartbreaker said. She was holding Marinette over the edge of the rail by her throat.

"Stop this." He shouted, his eyes wide as he pulled his staff out from behind him. "What is your problem with Marinette?" He asked angrily.

"She stole from me." Heartbreaker said.

"She didn't steal anything from you, Chloe. Adrien isn't yours and even if he was, she didn't steal him." Chat said and then pain spread over Marinette's face as Heartbreaker tightened her grip. Chat extended his staff and twirled it to gain momentum before he leaped at Heartbreaker, moving to bring the staff down on her arm.

He then realized that this was a terrible idea as Heartbreaker dropped Marinette. Chat stopped his attack to hop over the rail and catch her, using his staff to slow their fall. "You can't go throwing yourself into danger like that, M'lady. Not when you're not at full strength." He said once they were on the ground floor. Marinette stared at him with wide, scared eyes. It threw him off balance to see that expression on her face. "Now, go transform." He said. "I'll keep her busy." He added as Marinette rushed into the restroom.

Chat then used his staff to take him back up to the second floor. Heartbreaker had made for the stairs. "Where are you going Bumblebee?" He asked, commenting on her outfit.

"To get revenge on the girl who stole my boyfriend." She said.

"Sorry, but my Princess is in another castle. So you'll just have to deal with me." He said while perched atop his staff.

"You'll have to deal with both of us." Ladybug said as she swung through the entrance of the school.

"Ladybug!" Heartbreaker exclaimed as a butterfly symbol appeared over her face. "Give me your miraculous." She said as she dove forward. Chat jumped and collapsed his staff to a more manageable size as he made to bring it down on Heartbreaker's head.

"Don't let her touch you!" Ladybug said, too late as Chat fell through the air. He didn't have time to correct and get away from Heartbreaker as she dodged his attack and her hand rose to his shoulder. She started laughing as Chat's eyes widened. Heartbreaker maintained contact with Chat as he landed in a crouch.

Thoughts of Marinette rejecting him filled his mind. Some of them were memories from her rejection as Ladybug and others were worries about what she would do after finding out that he was Adrien. He even had visions of her with other guys. The visions felt real.

"Chat, don't believe it." Ladybug said as she threw the yoyo at Heartbreaker's arm and yanked, pulling the black and gold clad blond away from him. "Her lies are crippling." She added. However, Chat didn't move. "Chat Noir." She shouted.

"He's a bit busy." Heartbreaker said as she pulled her arm out of the yoyo's tangled cord.

Ladybug flicked her wrist to retract the yoyo and then threw it across the room. She sailed past Heartbreaker and landed next to Chat. "Chat, I need you." She said, putting her hand on Chat's shoulder.

"Why would you need a worthless alley cat." He asked in barely a whisper.

"Chat, we're a team. I'll always need you." She said. She could hear Heartbreaker laughing.

"You might as well not even try. I barely had to put any illusions in his fluffy little head. Seems he's had his heart broken a lot." She said. Ladybug noticed that he did seem to be taking longer to recover than she had. She looked down in guilt at his current condition, knowing that it was her fault.

Chat started at the floor as Heartbreaker approached them, getting ready to attack again. Ladybug was so focused on him that she almost didn't hear Heartbreaker's footsteps. "Chat, snap out of it." She said before grabbing him around the waste and throwing her yoyo to get the both of them away from Heartbreaker. "Chat, listen to me." She said as she landed with him on the second floor. He just hunched over. "Chat, you're my partner. I need you." she said. Chat just shook his head.

"You've said otherwise on plenty of occasions." He said. Ladybug's eyes widened and a pained expression took over her face.

"I was wrong." She said, biting her lip. She knew what she needed to say, but she couldn't form the words. Instead, she cupped his chin and brought his face up so that he was looking into her eyes. "I do need you." She said before bringing his face even closer to hers. He didn't react at first as their lips touched. Ladybug's hand moved to the back of his head as she deepened the kiss. She continued kissing him until after he started kissing her back.

"Oh, how sweet." Heartbreaker said in a disgusted voice from below them.

Ladybug stared into Chat's eyes after their kiss for a few moments to make sure that he was alright. "Let's mend this broken heart." He said after a moment. Ladybug nodded

She then stood and shouted, "Lucky charm" while throwing her yoyo in the air. The yoyo came back down with a pair of gloves. She looked around quickly, forming a plan as she did. "Kitty, get this railing." She said with a smile before flinging her yoyo and swinging through the air. As Chat used his Cataclysm, she used her yoyo to shape the falling metal. It fell around Heartbreaker like a cage.

Ladybug then swung over to the cage. Heartbreaker reached out to grab Ladybug's arm, but Ladybug put the gloves on Heartbreaker's hands with one swift move. She then quickly glanced over Heartbreaker, seeing a locket hanging around the girl's neck. She assumed the akuma was there and yanked the chain from the girl's neck. She crushed the jewelry on the floor with her foot and then smiled as a black butterfly came out of it.

"Time to deevilize." She shouted as she captured the akuma with her yoyo and then released the purified butterfly. "Miraculous Ladybug" she then shouted yanking the gloves off of Chloe and throwing them into the air. Her power swept through the area, fixing everything.

Ladybug looked up at Chat with a smile before swinging up to him. "We should talk." She said as her earrings beeped. "Follow me?" She asked.

"If it's about the kiss, don't worry. I understand that you had to." He said.

"Just follow me, Tom Cat." She said with a roll of her eyes before she swung out of the school and to a rooftop a few building's away.

"I'm going to change back soon." Chat said, worried as his ring beeped. "I really should go." He said.

"No, Adrien, you shouldn't." Ladybug said. She had noticed the slip-up that he had made earlier.

"Yes, I really should before you find out who I am." He replied, holding his staff as he prepared to leap from the building.

"Adrien." Ladybug said, putting her hand on his arm to stop him. "You don't have to go anywhere." She said, hearing his ring and her earrings beep again. "Not if you don't want to." She said.

Chat was about to respond when he realized what she was saying. "M'lady?" He asked.

"My kitty." She responded before leaning in to kiss him before pausing. "...unless you don't want to be." She said, thinking back to the thoughts that entered her mind when Heartbreaker had been holding her by her throat. She now knew that he was Adrien. She had the opposite effect of what Adrien had thought. Knowing that he was Chat Noir made her feel more comfortable around him as Adrien. He was her partner, the one who had been by her side for three years, the one that had saved her so many times.

"Of course I want to be." He said, closing the gap between them, kissing her as she changed back into Marinette moments before he turned back into Adrien. He hesitantly pulled away. "Do you...want to have dinner with me and my father tonight? At 5?" He asked, scratching the back of his head nervously.

Marinette's eyes widened and her face dropped. "Y-your father?" She said. "G-Gabriel Agreste? My all time favorite fashion designer? Dinner?" She said in a scared voice.

 **A/N: And there it is, the end of the story. I just couldn't end without Marinette having some awkward stuttering. Let me know what you thought of the story in a review.**

 **Oh, and yes, Alya was watching/recording the fight. She did post the video of Ladybug and Chat Noir kissing to the Ladyblog much to the delight of many fans.**


End file.
